No Home Is Safe
by marymin
Summary: They grow up slowly but ready to run. The trio during their childhood.
1. Knowing vs Seeing

Over the past few weeks since they've been adopted, Seto's grown to recognize Kano by virtue of the jacket he wears, because his facial features swim and twist on his face every time he looks away. It's not as bad as talking to Kido— he takes his eyes off her for a second and she's gone, he wonders if she's left the room, until he feels hands on his shoulders and desperate eyes fade into view, her voice repeating "I'm here. I'm here!" and he answers "I know," his tone shaky and unsure—because once you get used to the fact that Kano will look different the next time you see him, it's easy enough to anticipate.

The lies are a little less easy to get used to.

"Big sis wants you outside!" It's late afternoon, and Seto is surprised to hear Ayano's home so early. The three of them aren't enrolled in school here, not yet. Their adoptive mother is waiting for the bruises and cuts to fade just a little bit first. But he won't keep her waiting, not Ayano, so he jumps to his feet and jogs down the stairs, joining Kano at the door. Today the other boy's eyes are wide and bright and innocent, his smile polite. The fist-sized bruise on his upper arm no longer shows, but Seto can tell from the way he leans against the door that it's not gone at all.

It's a difference in facts, a cross-referencing of what he sees and what he 'sees'; a child just like him, dutifully relaying a message, is what he observes at first. But against his will, a painful curiosity swims to the surface, a sharp-edged caution even with people he should trust. He blinks, and like an overlay sees the smile change, impish and twisted now. The bruise blooms into view, along with scattered old scars on the boy's arms and legs. And like a whisper, Kano's voice floats into his head.

"I'm going to lock him outside." Accompanied by laughter but said desperately, Seto jerks back at the revelation.

"She's not even back!" He stares at Kano, betrayed. Kano's eyes narrow.

"Ahh, caught again. I can never fool you, can I?" And that would be the end of it, it really would, if it weren't for Seto still peering at him in that way. Like a lift-the-flap book, another murmur swims through the air between them.

"He'll tell on me. They'll be angry. They'll punish me."

There's fear tinging the words, just a bit, but more than that is the desperation, a desire for the world-system Kano grew up with to re-establish itself. He doesn't understand a world without angry grownups, without swift punishment for every misstep and rude word. Seto swallows. He can't give that world back to him. He's not capable of it.

"…It's fine. It was just a joke, right?" The lie burns his throat as it comes up, singing his tongue on the way out.

The double-exposure again shifts in front of his eyes. The bottom layer regards him with confusion, eyebrows knitting together. The top layer grins widely.

"'Course it was," Kano replies, his little-kid fingers curling against the edge of the door, though there's no reason they would open it now. "What else would it be?"

Seto can't answer him.


	2. Take It From Me

Kido picks a moment when no one else is around to confront Seto.

"Where are you going?" she asks, stepping out of seemingly nowhere and blocking the door with one thin arm. Seto freezes.

"Out," he replies, his voice quiet. His eyes keep darting up to make sure she's still there, though she's gotten better at controlling her ability much faster than either of the boys out of necessity. She wishes he would just pick one spot to look and stick with it. His inability to make eye contact is making her nervous.

"You're meeting one of those bullies, aren't you?" She finally puts words to what she'd long suspected; that he's being teased, that the other kids are tormenting him just for being different. She'd idly thought it before, but the day he came home without the white jacket Ayano gave him is when she knew for sure.

He hadn't seemed heartbroken about the loss of the jacket, but all the same, the older girl had pulled him into her room, chosen a hairpin from her dresser. 'Here you go,' she'd promised, pressing the little piece of plastic into his small palm, 'it's good luck. and you can attach to things, so it'll be harder to lose.' Her gentle voice allows a charade that he'd lost the jacket, as if any of them would lose something so precious as the hoodies Ayano gave them. He'd clipped the small yellow pin to the edge of his shirt, not brave enough to wear something so feminine it more visibly, where it'd give the bullies more ammunition against him.

Now Kido felt her eyes stray to the clip on his shirt hem, a frown appearing on her face. It didn't matter that the three of them didn't always get along. Messing with Seto was the same as messing with her or Kano, and in the end it was an insult on Ayano and her family. And Kido would let no insult against Ayano stand.

"I'm not," he said finally, shaking his head. "I'm going to play in the forest."

She stared at him, not sure if she could believe him. Time spent with Kano taught her to take everything with a grain of salt.

"Trust me," he begged, finally looking her in the eyes.

How can I trust you when you have no need to trust anyone, with your ability— The words appeared in her mind before she could stop them, and she saw him flinch. She took a deep breath.

"Who gave you that black eye?" His hand shot up to cover his eye, though it would do him no good now. The words hung between them for a moment— give me this and I'll let you go, no questions asked— and then he shoved his hands in his pockets, meeting her eyes with as much courage as he could muster.

"The boy who sits behind Kano in class," he replied, his voice small but clear. She nodded, and stepped away from the door to let him through.

The next day class began, and that person had a black eye to match Seto's, and he never saw it coming.

Kido picks a moment when no one else is around to confront Seto.

"Where are you going?" she asks, stepping out of seemingly nowhere and blocking the door with one thin arm. Seto freezes.

"Out," he replies, his voice quiet. His eyes keep darting up to make sure she's still there, though she's gotten better at controlling her ability much faster than either of the boys out of necessity. She wishes he would just pick one spot to look and stick with it. His inability to make eye contact is making her nervous.

"You're meeting one of those bullies, aren't you?" She finally puts words to what she'd long suspected; that he's being teased, that the other kids are tormenting him just for being different. She'd idly thought it before, but the day he came home without the white jacket Ayano gave him is when she knew for sure.

He hadn't seemed heartbroken about the loss of the jacket, but all the same, the older girl had pulled him into her room, chosen a hairpin from her dresser. 'Here you go,' she'd promised, pressing the little piece of plastic into his small palm, 'it's good luck. and you can attach to things, so it'll be harder to lose.' Her gentle voice allows a charade that he'd lost the jacket, as if any of them would lose something so precious as the hoodies Ayano gave them. He'd clipped the small yellow pin to the edge of his shirt, not brave enough to wear something so feminine it more visibly, where it'd give the bullies more ammunition against him.

Now Kido felt her eyes stray to the clip on his shirt hem, a frown appearing on her face. It didn't matter that the three of them didn't always get along. Messing with Seto was the same as messing with her or Kano, and in the end it was an insult on Ayano and her family. And Kido would let no insult against Ayano stand.

"I'm not," he said finally, shaking his head. "I'm going to play in the forest."

She stared at him, not sure if she could believe him. Time spent with Kano taught her to take everything with a grain of salt.

"Trust me," he begged, finally looking her in the eyes.

How can I trust you when you have no need to trust anyone, with your ability— The words appeared in her mind before she could stop them, and she saw him flinch. She took a deep breath.

"Who gave you that black eye?" His hand shot up to cover his eye, though it would do him no good now. The words hung between them for a moment— give me this and I'll let you go, no questions asked— and then he shoved his hands in his pockets, meeting her eyes with as much courage as he could muster.

"The boy who sits behind Kano in class," he replied, his voice small but clear. She nodded, and stepped away from the door to let him through.

The next day class began, and that person had a black eye to match Seto's, and he never saw it coming.


	3. Leaving the Tateyama House

Ayano hadn't wanted to go. "I can't leave you guys alone," she'd said, her voice quiet, "not after Mom…"

Her father cut her off, one hand squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. "We'll be fine without you. Go on your school trip. You need a break from all this." He sounded comforting, but his face was pale, his shirt wrinkled. Without his wife, he was falling apart at the seams. Ayano despised the sight.

In the end, it was selfish, or so she would tell herself afterwards. A friend had admitted he wasn't thinking of going, and she wasn't having that. With her usual relentless cheer she'd extracted a promise; he'd go if she would, and that was that.

"Be good for Dad, okay?" she reminded, hoisting the duffel bag on her shoulder. Three pairs of eyes watched her from the stairs. The kids, now almost twelve, leaned on the railing. They looked exhausted, closed off. Closer than she liked to how they'd seemed when they moved in. "Okay?" she prompted again. Two smiles of varying sincerity answered her, flanking a level stare.

"Okay!"

"We will."

"You be good too, okay!"

She ignored the teasing echo of her words. If Kano was feeling well enough to make fun of her, she was happy. She turned back to wave one last time, then left the house. If she'd known she'd never see them again, maybe she would have been just a little bit more sentimental.

…

Kido woke that night to one of the scariest sounds she'd ever heard as a yell ripped through the air. She bolted out of bed before even having time to process. It was coming from down the hall, where the boys slept. She wrenched open her door and dashed to the end of the hall.

Seto's room was on the right, and Kano's was on the left. She didn't have to waste time trying to figure out who had yelled, because Seto was leaning against the doorway, rubbing sleep from his eyes and looking as terrified as she felt. They pushed their way into Kano's room. Kido knocked over a chair by accident. Seto flicked on the lights.

Kano was pressed against the wall, his knees to his chest. When he saw them, his expression of fear slid into a practiced smile. Kido's heart twisted in her chest.

Kenjirou sat on the edge of the bed, with what looked like a syringe in his hand. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was hunched forward, leaning towards the boy.

"Ahhh, here are my champions, come to save me," Kano pronounced airily, his eyes flicking between her and Seto. Kido took the opportunity to move in between the two, climbing on to the bed and glaring at the older man. She didn't trust adults. Ayano's mother had been the exception.

She'd moved to be as threatening as possible to Kenjirou, but now with her back to Kano's knees, she could feel his breath puffing quickly against the back of her neck. No matter what expression he wore now, he was panicking. A cold fury filled her small frame.

"Don't you touch us," she warned, her voice shaking. Behind him she saw Seto's eyes widen as he detected the emotion in her words. Kenjirou didn't seem phased.

"Don't… don't you want to bring her back?" his voice was desperate. Had he been hiding this from Ayano all this time? "I just need some blood, from each of you. You can't refuse me that, not after all she gave for you—" he leaned forward and reached for Kido's wrist.

A pang of terror like a firecracker went off in her chest and she kicked him, hard. He stumbled back and off the bed, staring at them in confusion. He didn't understand why they didn't offer themselves willingly. He might be a little bit drunk.

"You're being silly. If you're afraid of the needles I'll… I'll get some painkillers then, alright?" He backed off, and disappeared past Seto and into the hallway. For a moment they were all frozen, staring at each other. Kido became aware of Kano's hand digging into her shoulder. Then Seto ran to join them on the bed, throwing his arms around her. Kano shifted and wrapped his arm around both their shoulders. Kido found herself sandwiched between the two, Seto trembling like a leaf, even though he'd been the farthest from the confrontation.

Kido ran a hand through his hair, fighting to keep her breathing calm. She was the big sister, in Ayano's absence. The choice was hers. "We can't stay here. Get your shoes and jackets. We'll go out the back door." She heard a quiet noise of assent behind her, and Seto's head nodded against her hand. This had been a safe house for them for so long, but they'd known they couldn't trust adults forever.

Hand in hand and with fear in their hearts, they ran.


End file.
